At SOFINS 2023, Arquus is proud to present its SABER in its Special Forces configuration. This version of the Arquus Sabre, developed from the French Special Forces PLFS, has been designed in cooperation with the Czech Technical-Military Institute VTU to meet a specific Czech Army requirement. The SABER presented thus integrates communication systems and weapon systems that specifically meet these specifications. Arquus has proven bases allowing the development of robust solutions adapted to the needs of Special Forces. SOFINS 2023 is the biennial French Special Forces exposition and conference organised by Cercle de l’Arbalète at Camp de Souge near Bordeaux.
The Sabre is a member of Arquus’ special forces and counter terrorism vehicles range which also includes Areg, Torpedo and Patsas. The Sabre vehicle is based on the design of Sherpa light tactical vehicle. The stealthy and extremely mobile platform can perform operations behind the enemy lines and deliver high mobility in extreme conditions. The vehicle has a length of 5.5m, width of 2.5m, height of 2.2m and gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 11t. It has two seats at the front, gunner’s position in the middle and two seats at the rear to house five crew members.
The Sabre special forces vehicle is equipped with three 7.62mm light machine guns, one 12.7mm machine gun on ring mount and anti-tank missiles. The vehicle is also capable of firing multiple engagements against fixed or mobile targets while on the move. It can also be fitted with remote-controlled weapon systems. MBDA performed the first firing of a medium-range missile (MMP) from Sabre vehicle at the Canjuers military camp in the south of France, in December 2020. The firing was carried out against a tank which was positioned 3,500m away by using lock-on-before-launch mode, along with rapid switchover to fire-and-forget mode, making the vehicle fully mobile after firing.
The Sabre is powered by a 265hp engine coupled to an automatic gearbox. The power-plant allows the vehicle to move at a speed of 110km/h. The armoured vehicle has a range of 1,400km and can negotiate gradient and side slopes of 60% and 40% respectively. The armoured vehicle offers ballistic protection according to CEN 1063 and STANAG 4569 standards. Its modular and scalable armour also protects the crew from mine and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks. The special forces vehicle can cross a trench of 0.9m wide and vertical obstacle of 0.4m high, and can ford a maximum depth of 1m. It can be transported by both A400M and C-130 military transport aircraft.
